The Producers (1968)

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writer:

Mel Brooks (written by)

Release Date:

10 November 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Hollywood Never Faced a Zanier Zero Hour!

Plot:

Producers Max Bialystock (Mostel) and Leo Bloom (Wilder) make money by producing a sure-fire flop.

Plot Keywords:

Hitler | Theatrical Producer | Accountant | Empire State Building New York City | Hot Dog Stand

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Zero Mostel	...	Max Bialystock (as Zero)
Gene Wilder	...	Leo Bloom
Dick Shawn	...	'L.S.D.' - Lorenzo St. DuBois
Kenneth Mars	...	Franz Liebkind
Lee Meredith	...	Ulla
Christopher Hewett	...	Roger De Bris
Andréas Voutsinas	...	Carmen Ghia (as Andreas Voutsinas)
Estelle Winwood	...	'Hold Me Touch Me'
Renée Taylor	...	Eva Braun (as Renee Taylor)
David Patch	...	Goebbels
William Hickey	...	The Drunk (as Bill Hickey)
Barney Martin	...	Göring
Shimen Ruskin	...	The Landlord
Frank Campanella	...	The Bartender
Josip Elic	...	Violinist

Also Known As:

Springtime for Hitler (USA) (working title)
Det våras för Hitler (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) (reissue title) [sv]
Aftoi oi trelloi trelloi paragogoi (Greece) [el]
Dyo trelloi paragogoi (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Forår for Hitler (Denmark) [da]
Frühling für Hitler (West Germany) [de]
Kevät koittaa Hitlerille (Finland) [fi]
Les producteurs (France) [fr]
Los productores (Spain) [es]
O Falhado Amoroso (Portugal) [pt]
Per favore, non toccate le vecchiette (Italy) [it]
Po Favor, Não Mexam nas Velhinhas (Portugal) (original subtitled version) [pt]
Primavera Para Hitler (Brazil) [pt]
Producenci (Poland) [pl]
Producenterna (Sweden) [sv]
Producerek (Hungary) [hu]
Total verrückter Broadway (West Germany) [de]

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:K-12 | South Korea:15 | West Germany:12 (nf) | Brazil:16 | Netherlands:6 | Argentina:13 | Australia:G (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Canada:14A | France:U | Ireland:G | New Zealand:PG | Norway:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Broadway Theatre - 1681 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Crossbow Productions

Trivia:

Max says, "Gregor Samsa awoke one morning to discover that he had been transformed into a giant cockroach. Nah, it's too good." This is a reference to Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis". In another Mel Brooks' film, Spaceballs (1987), he makes another obscure reference to this story during the "Mega-Maid" scene.

Goofs:

Continuity: While playing the kitty game with the lady in blue, Max sits on the couch. Between shots, his position changes; he is first to the right and then to the left.

Quotes:

Max Bialystock: Shut up, I'm having a rhetorical conversation.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Broadway: The American Musical: Putting It Together: 1980-Present (#1.6)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

By The Light Of The Silvery Moon

A Classic!

This is a classic film with wonderful performances all around (although I didn't take to Dick Shawn's as much as the others). Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder were perfect casting as was Christopher Hewitt (later to be known as TV's "Mr. Belvedere"). What's even more impressive are the various elements of truth that are beneath the histerical if not obsurbed storyline. The current Broadway hit doesn't compete with this film. The performances are good on stage but not as wonderful as here. Due to long term business problems this film wasn't released for home video and cable until much later then it should have been. Outright broad comedy and silliness belong in our daily lives and this film offers them very well. EVERYONE should see this film!